Introduction

You want to learn how to run. The fact that you want to learn to run means that you tried taking up running in the past, but for some reason stopped.

When you were a child, running came naturally. You ran to the playground. You ran at the playground. You ran for sports. You ran just because you wanted to. And you never felt sore the next day. Now you are an adult, and you want to run but find it challenging.

You probably have many reasons why running did not work for you when you tried as an adult:

“I don’t have the stamina to run far.”

“My calves burn when I run.”

“I’m too sore then next day.”

“I can’t keep a consistent running schedule.”

“I had an injury that made me stop, and I never got back into it.”

“I can’t catch my breath when I run.”

“My feet hurt after I run.”

But you have not lost interest. That is what brought you here. This running guide is for beginning runners – or for people who have taken a long break and want to start back up.

I am a beginning runner. At the time of this writing, I have been running for about eight months. As a middle-aged man, I found it challenging to get started, but worthwhile. I have spent considerable time reading, trying, failing, and succeeding. The goal of this running guide is to capture my lessons-learned so that you can be successful and get back into the running habit.

I have gone from struggling to run a quarter of a mile to running a strong six to ten miles at a time. I have gone from bonafide couch potato to someone who can outrun my teenage sons.

This guide, will walk you through what I have learned so that you too can become a successful, long-term runner. You can get in shape, lose weight, increase your stamina, strengthen your mental faculties, run a race, and have fun doing it.

This guide will step through what you need to do — beginning with setting goals and leading up to your first 5K race. Are you ready? Let’s get started.